1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to medical devices and, particularly, to a skin-marking tool for use in marking the skin of a patient undergoing medical procedures.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many medical procedures ranging from injections and surgery to resetting a broken bone require the use of x-rays to determine the nature and the location of the injury. Despite the use of lead vests and protective eye wear to shield radiosensitive organs, such as the thyroid glands and eyes, many doctors and their staff are unnecessarily exposed to a large degree of radiation when using x-rays through indirect scattered radiation exposure, which typically results from radiation being reflected from a patient's body toward the doctor and/or his/her staff positioned around the patient.
Further, many medical practitioners are exposed to radiation multiple times during each procedure while standing next to the x-ray machine. For example, radiation exposure typically increases when a doctor is required to stand next to the patient when making his/her initial entry mark on the patient's body, such as for an incision or a needle entry point. This is typically done with the use of a metal device, such as artery forceps, which is usually very short, and as such, require the doctor and his/her staff to stand close to the patient and the x-ray machine until the doctor determines the location of the entry point and uses a sterile ink marker to mark that particular spot on the patient's body. The closeness of the medical personnel to the patient significantly increases the exposure of the medical personnel to radiation.
Thus, an x-ray stick marker solving the aforementioned problems is desired.